The Alfredo Amezcua campaign spent a week screaming on Facebook about free speech, but at tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, which was held at the historic Yost Theater, they sent a mime to the podium, then waved the white flag. I was embarrassed for them.

Ruben Alvarez, who serves as Amezcua’s photographer, turned in a speaker card. I asked him where his censorship sticker was and he blanched. He must have thought I read his mind. Moments later, when he took the podium, he put a piece of white tape over his mouth, then proceeded to hold up sheets of paper with words on them. It was all so lame I couldn’t even follow what the heck he was trying to say.

Councilman David Benavides whined and pleaded for forgiveness, apparently forgetting that he had voted to silence Amezcua’s disciple, Alberto Castillo.

About Art Pedroza

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Oh dear lord, these people are insane! Tish Leon is officially Commissio-no-more!!! Now we need to get Julie Stroud out of there, and with Gordo Loco out of the race, seems like they have no more power! They are gone! I praise the 16-year-old who decided to proceed with all this and do the right thing! We definitely need people like him leading us! He is our future, and by the looks of it, he has his heart in the right place! He has my vote when he runs, and I will assist in his campaign! Hallelujah and Praises to this young man! it is truly amazing to see this young man be so involved in our community, and work so tirelessly with the community to make a difference! Further, I believe you guys mentioned he is all honors and AP courses, correct? WE NEED HIM ON COMMISSIONS!!! This young man is amazing, and EXTREMELY mature contrary what other people say! To be able to handle all of this, and he has such exceptional writing skills. He made Tish’s letter look like the toilet paper I clean myself with (Actually, I use extra soft quilt) so it made it look like that cheap kind you find in public restrooms, and I wouldn’t want Tish stuff near me, even if it is to clean my…behind…rather use my finger. Praises and Hallelujah’s to this young man, for standing up for what is right, for being so mature and taking all the heat, and for being able to cope with the stress and initiate this difficult step towards a better Santa Ana! I wish I could meet this young man! KUDOS to the Councilmember who appointed him!

The councils actions tonight took this issue off the table and made it a moot point. They apologized and re-opened public comments to give Mr. Castillo his 3 minutes to speak his peace. He chose not to do so.

It was quite obvioius that Councilmember Benavides was grandstanding and playing to the Amezcua faction. Councilmember Sarmiento pretty much put him in his place and eloquently explained how he took a proactive approach to fix the situation and prevent it from happening in the future.

The council detractors can harp on this but what good will it do, the council admitted they were wrong, apologized and took control of the issue.

One councilmember voted NO and the rest voted Yes to remove the commissioner.

The 6 yes votes WERE NOT because of the student complaint.

The 6 yes council members were very adamant about it being a council members choice to put another in that spot.

I don’t understand from the reasons stated why this was done at this time, since the past year and half there was not a working relationship, and the Pro Tem had the same commissioner on a commission for 4 years without a working relationship.

So from statement made, a working relationship was not a requirement to be a commissioner.

Thank you David for your courage and the leadership which you have shown
in the yesterday’s meeting!

While your colleges voted cohesively like the old Soviet Politburo in
support of the hysteria, chaos and panic, showing total lack of the
leadership, you have clearly distinguished yourself among the
Magnificent Seven and have once again proven that you are ready to lead
Santa Ana in to the bright future with cool reasoning.

They tried to be patient with Leon and got burned. In the future I suspect their patience will run out much sooner. Or perhaps they will be more discerning about whom they appoint to City Commissions. Usual Suspects need not apply.

Art, since I am heavily emerged in the Mexican culture via my Mexican family, I have study various cultural aspect of the Mexico.

You are strongly reminding me Diego Rivera who got in bed with Jewish communist Leon Trotsky a founder of the Red Army who was hiding in the Mexico City, protected by Mexican communist pseudo intellectuals until Trotsky got killed by the Iron Hand of Josef Stalin.

Rivera would got more recognition if he would stay away from the communists.

Sartor Resartus, 1831, in which a character expounds at length on the virtues of silence:

“Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the daylight of Life, which they are thenceforth to rule. Not William the Silent only, but all the considerable men I have known, and the most undiplomatic and unstrategic of these, forbore to babble of what they were creating and projecting. Nay, in thy own mean perplexities, do thou thyself but hold thy tongue for one day: on the morrow, how much clearer are thy purposes and duties; what wreck and rubbish have those mute workmen within thee swept away, when intrusive noises were shut out! Speech is too often not, as the Frenchman defined it, the art of concealing Thought; but of quite stifling and suspending Thought, so that there is none to conceal. Speech too is great, but not the greatest. As the Swiss Inscription says: Sprecfien ist silbern, Schweigen ist golden (Speech is silvern, Silence is golden); or as I might rather express it: Speech is of Time, Silence is of Eternity.”